Future Decoded: Designing Devices For The New Culture Of Work

This week at Future Decoded in London we talked to business and IT leaders about the role technology can play in transforming organizations.

We are at the edge of a major technology shift towards more intelligent computing – one fueled by the rise of data, artificial intelligence and machine learning. But there is a larger shift happening that is about more than changing technology. It’s about people – how they work, where they work, and the culture that guides and motivates them. Technology is the how, not the why.

It’s through that lens that our team builds products, bringing hardware and software together to empower people in this new culture of work. To help people be more creative and more productive, from anywhere. To help them feel more connected to their organization, and free from their desk.

Which is why today we’re excited to share that we are bringing even greater mobility to our Surface Pro line by making Surface Pro with LTE Advanced available to business customers beginning December 2017.

In an evolving workforce, ideas are our most valuable assets

Half of the global workforce will be mobile by 2020. The office is no longer restricted to a set of buildings – it’s at home, in a café, a city across the globe, or on a plane. With so many changing locations your device becomes your office and many of our customers tell us that’s what their Surface is to them – a mobile office.

As a team we’ve seen this come to life over the last five years, spotting people all over the world using their Surface for sharing, creating, consuming and producing.

More emphasis than ever is being put on creativity and collaboration. As we move from economies of scale to economies of innovation and creativity, our ideas become the new differentiator. We need to give people the right tools to bring their ideas to life.

Devices at the forefront of the new culture of work

This is such an exciting time for our team, because devices are at the forefront of this new culture. Empowering people with smarter, more intuitive ways to work. Devices are the interaction point, the tangible thing that people can hold and touch. They not only play a pivotal role as the inputs that feed intelligence into the cloud, but they are also tools that empower people with simple and more secure ways to create and connect with others.

Working across Windows, Office, and Surface we’ve unlocked new interaction models, pioneering experiences with touch, voice, Cortana, Pen, and Dial to help people stay in their creative flow, while also providing best in class keyboards, track pads, and mice for when you need precision. It delivers the performance needed to take advantage of powerful new technologies like AI, machine learning, and the versatility to work how you want, where you want.

The right device makes your employees feel more productive, creative and valued

When we talk about product making, we talk about how every detail matters – every gram, every line, every part – but not only because we want the design and engineering to be flawless, but also because we want people to love using our products, and to feel proud of what they create with them. We obsess over these details because we want to help you meet workforce expectations, to attract and retain the best talent, to enable your teams to express their ideas and innovations more effectively.

And what we’ve found is that the device you provide your employees with not only helps them create and succeed but can also make them feel happier and more valued. That’s powerful. We hear from people every day who love their Surface. These are machines that make employees feel a sense of pride when they take them out of their bag, that fuel their ingenuity, productivity, and collaboration, and inspire them to do their best work. To achieve more.

Get to know the New Culture of Work

The workplace is evolving and the competition is getting stronger. By 2018, two-thirds of the Global 2000 CEOs will have digital transformation at the heart of their corporate strategy. Here’s what that means:

Workplace Evolution – A new generation of workers is entering the workforce and influencing culture, with new expectations about what work should mean and placing a high value on access to innovative devices and technology.

75% of the workforce will be made up of millennials by 2025

50% of the global workforce will be mobile by 2020

1/3 of CEOs entered new industries in the last three years

50% of CEOs believe the competition is heating up more in new sectors

Creativity IS the New Productivity

83% of works say they are asked to be creative at work either daily or weekly

But only 40% feel they have a company culture that encourages creativity

60% of the workforce values flexibility when considering company culture and benefits

60% expect employers to provide state-of-the-art technology

94% say Surface makes them feel like their company is investing in them

Why This Matters

Over the next 12 months:

15% of organisations plan to increase their investments in Microsoft Surface PCs – and only 8% in Apple laptops and PCs.

More than 50% of the Fortune 100 use Surface Hub to improve innovation, collaboration, and capture new ideas.

Check out Microsoft Surface, Office and the entire suite of Microsoft solutions to elevate your business and workforce

And what we’ve found is that the device you provide your employees with not only helps them create and succeed but can also make them feel happier and more valued. That’s powerful. We hear from people every day who love their Surface. These are machines that make employees feel a sense of pride when they take them out of their bag, that fuel their ingenuity, productivity, and collaboration, and inspire them to do their best work. To achieve more.

Surface Pro with LTE Advanced is the latest addition to the Surface family and will begin shipping to business customers in December 2017. With a Cat 9 modem, Surface Pro with LTE Advanced is the fastest LTE-enabled laptop in its class1. It delivers global connectivity with support of 20 cellular bands2 so you can work, study, create or relax uninterrupted.

Surface Pro with LTE Advanced rounds out our family of ultimate laptops, giving businesses options to meet the needs of everyone in their workforce. Whether it’s the pure power of Surface Book 2, the most powerful Surface yet with up to 17 hours of battery life3, the unmatched versatility of Surface Pro, or the beauty and emotional appeal of Surface Laptop. The entire Surface family is built to bring the best of Windows to life, including the new mixed reality, 3D, and inking features of the Windows Fall Creators Update.

The new culture of work will require devices with more performance and more versatility, without sacrificing beautiful design. The Surface family has been designed to engage and inspire employees. To help people bring ideas to life. It’s why we do what we do, it’s what drives us, because we believe your people are at the core of your business success. Your people and their ideas are your company’s most precious asset and this transformation starts with people.

1Comparison of Surface Pro with LTE Advanced modem capability of up to 450 Mbps download speed to 12” and

2Service availability and performance subject to service provider’s network. Contact your service provider for details, compatibility, pricing, SIM card, and activation. See all specs and frequencies at surface.com.

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